The Artist

Meander is an artist who loves nature, but can’t seem to keep a plant alive. Instead, they create art inspired by nature that allows one to put nature in a pocket, home, or right on oneself–without all of the pesky watering.

One of the early innovators of realistic ear wraps and floral crowns (before the days of music festival fashion and those cute Snapchat flower crown filters,) Meander has always sought to create functional and wearable art that doesn’t take shortcuts in construction or quality. After 10 years as a wire artist, Meander began exploring making jewelry and art pieces that blended traditional diorama subjects with materials and techniques popularized by modern model train and gaming terrain enthusiasts. While Meandrous designs frequently present an elegant or idealized natural aesthetic, Meander feels that dioramas are inherently a little quirky and so likes to occasionally include some more ironic and pop-culture themes in their work. It’s Meander’s intention with any piece that the observer feel they could ‘escape’ into the piece and imagine they’re somewhere else for a time.

Although Meander doesn’t strictly adhere to official miniature scales, they’re most passionate about working in scales similar to “N” (1:148 UK, 1:160 US) or “Dollhouse for a Dollhouse”/”Micro Scale” (1:144). As of yet, Meander doesn’t need to use any magnifying equipment to create their itty bitty works, but assumes old age will likely have something to say about that one day.

While not a frequent social media user, Meander has maintained an Opal level YouTube channel since the mid 2000s and posts periodically to Facebook and Instagram, providing curated content related to offbeat art and miniatures as well as free content like tutorials, tips, and techniques. Meander also runs affordable and sliding-scale crafting classes in their community as their health and schedule allows and is passionate about teaching to help others learn skills they can use to help them express their own creative ideas in their own ways.

When not creating art, Meander is a student in software design and a single parent of one. They’re a supporter and advocate of accessibility and disability issues, equal rights for queer folks, and the dismantling of systemic social inequalities for people of marginalized and underprivileged identities. Until holodecks are created, Meander consoles themselves with creating the places they wish they could go in miniature form, daydreaming through hobbyist novel writing, and taking on roles in games like D&D.

Meander’s greatest wishes are to own a small home and to get a version of Skyrim in V.R. that’s stable enough to not cause motion sickness (though these dreams are in no particular order.) Their favorite animals are chickens (because they’re the cats of birds) and swans (cause they’re beautiful jerks) and they’re known to drive people up the wall by choosing nothing but Jazz covers of top 40s on karaoke night.